Yeah! GamePlan Today is now here with yet another exciting topic of “Reverse Sweep”.
All cricket lovers might be familiar with the term. Reverse Sweep is a batman’s shot by swinging their bat in one horizontal arc from legs to off.
A Quick Overview of Today’s Talks:
- Highlights of Reverse Sweep
- Switch Hit
- Reverse Sweep vs Switch Hit
- Art and Acceptance
- Bowler’s Perception
Highlights of Reverse Sweep
The reverse sweep started long ago. Mushtaq Muhammad’s reverse sweep in the 1970s is even early.
We may have to divide reverse sweep into two sections. Earlier, Dave Hudson played the reverse sweep. Then, in 1971, Mushtaq Muhammad started it. There were many reverse sweepers later like Andy Flower, who played splendidly with it.
Maxwell is also playing it. Many players are exploring reverse sweep. Though Mushtaq started, it wasn’t successful. It was Jawed Miandad who threw light on this shot. It was Zimbabwe’s Dave Harten who displayed that class to the world.
Switch Hit
We can tell that Kevin Peterson was the first to acknowledge the switch from reverse sweep to switch hit. Of course. There is only one difference between reverse sweep and switch hit. You can’t generate power with a reverse sweep which is the contrary with switch hits.
Kevin Peterson took it to the next level as an excellent switch hitter, although not a great reverse sweeper. Switch hit demands a change of hands, while reverse sweep doesn’t need it.
Reverse Sweep vs Switch Hit
During a reverse sweep, the right-hander uses the top hand to sweep like how it is cleaned with a broom. In a switch hit, the hands are interchanged.
Many debates have even happened on this among bowlers. In a recent video, Adam uses reverse sweep against Mohali, and Ashwin had bowled extempo. The umpire first declared that wide and then changed it.
Even Sourav Ganguly in the commentary box mentioned that it was wide. However, it is not wide. Batters should be considered left-handers, whether a reverse sweep or switch hit, and the ball is not wide.
Maxwell even mentioned that using reverse sweep or switch hit is an art. He asked Ian Chappell the reason for removing it from the game. Interchanging hands and playing is also an art as per a bowler’s argument.
Art & Acceptance
Many in this world can switch hands. AB De Villiers, a hockey player, also follows the reverse sweep. Playing wrist flick on either side is easy for hockey players. It is indeed a skill, and bowlers need to have this allowance too.
There is an Instagram video where a left-arm spinner who even played India under 19 (Shiva Singh, I guess) does a 360-degree-U turn before bowling, and the umpire declared it a dead ball.
It looks like fooling a batter, and the umpire did not count this ball according to his perception. A bowler here has explored something different at the cost of his skill. You call it art if a batter does it. Otherwise, it is a fooling technique.
If there is run out during non-staggering, you call it against the game’s spirit. It is called an art form if a batter promises as a right-handed but plays as a left-hander.
We may have to accept these cases.
Bowler’s Perception
A bowler’s innovation is always claimed as fooling the batsman. A batsman is standing in Mike Tyson’s boxing posture and playing switch hit! Kevin Peterson was successful in playing better after the bowler’s release. He holds his bat this way to generate the desired power.
As there is no power in the reverse sweep, bottom dominance is needed. Ivan Moran holds this way. When batters share their opinions, they can never understand what a bowler is undergoing.
These days, batters don’t even move or turn. Instead, they play switch hits right from the place. Dead bowl focus on hitting wide lines. These days, a field is set there, and they stand at that point.
When you stand at that point, the ball outside the pitch is called a no-ball. It is said the line moves along with the batsman.
Summing Up
The art form is only set to continue. The future is going to have just batsmen and no bowlers. We hope you like today’s plan on a reverse sweep and switch-hit analyzing balance and parity.